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The effects of the global computer memory shortage known as "RAMageddon" continue to bite, as Valve increased the price of its Steam Deck on its website on Wednesday. The handheld gaming device that launched in 2022 for $400 will now cost almost $800 to buy new.
Valve's new pricing for its Steam Deck starts at $789 for its 512GB OLED version, a jump of more than $200 from its $549 launch price in 2023, as first spotted by X poster Wario64. The 1TB Steam Deck OLED had an even bigger jump in price, from $649 to $949.
Valve didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about the price increase.
The price of Steam is rising
This price jump, while sudden, shouldn't be a surprise for those keeping an eye on Steam hardware (or anything with RAM and storage). Back in February, Valve said it was delaying the release of its home PC console, the Steam Machine, and its VR hardware, the Steam Frame, to sometime later this year. Both were revealed last November. The company did say that pricing was a concern due to the market conditions causing a spike in demand for important hardware components.
Valve did not provide any pricing for its Steam Frame and Steam Machine in its reveal or delay announcements, but it was speculated that both should be around $600 to $700. Those estimates are no longer feasible given the Steam Deck's components, which have received minimal upgrades since its launch in 2022.
The Steam Deck has also been an item that Valve has had difficulty keeping in stock. For the first half of 2026, those interested had a tough time finding a new one, likely due to issues with the memory shortage and tariffs.
Gaming is now almost a luxury hobby
Valve isn't the only gaming hardware company hurting from this memory shortage. Nintendo said last month it was going to increase the price of its Switch 2 in September by $50 to $500. The company did help soften the blow of the price increase by offering a new bundle that includes a free game. Last year, it also increased the price of its original Switch console, but that was primarily due to tariffs instituted by President Donald Trump. Nintendo has since sued the US government over tariffs, and its customers filed a class-action suit against the company to get refunds.
Those tariffs were also the heart of Microsoft's two price increases to the Xbox Series console lineup last year.
Sony also increased the price of its PS5 console back in March, with its PS5 Pro jumping to $900. This is the first time in the history of gaming that consoles have substantially increased in price years after their launches -- usually components get cheaper, and manufacturers eventually pass those savings on to consumers. There is no sign of this new inflationary trend slowing.
